1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a disk file apparatus in which disk cartridges having optical disks or magnetic disks stored therein are changed over and loaded to stockers and a disk driving means as a changer is reciprocated, and more particularly a mechanism for feeding or discharging disk cartridges to or away from the stockers and the disk driving means.
2. Description of the Related Art
As this type of prior art disk file apparatus, a technology described in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 122048/1988 can be applied.
FIG. 6 is an entire schematic view for showing a prior art disk file apparatus disclosed in the above-mentioned gazette. FIG. 7 is a front elevational view for showing a part of the changer in the disk file apparatus shown in FIG. 6.
As shown in FIG. 6, a single stocker 63 for storing a plurality of disk cartridges 62 under their piled-up condition within one side end of a housing 61, and recording and reproducing disk driving means 64 are arranged below the stocker 63. A carrier 65 is arranged in front of the stocker 63 and the disk driving mean 64 in such a way as it may be lifted up or lowered along a supporting column 66, and the carrier is connected to an electric motor 70 through a cable 67, a pulley 68 and a winch 69. To the carrier 65 is fixed a changer 71 for feeding in or feeding out the disk cartridges 62 in respect to the stocker 63 and the disk driving means 64.
As shown in FIG. 7, to the changer 71 is supported a holder 72 for storing the disk cartridge 62 in such a manner as it may be reversely rotated by an electric motor 73. To the changer 71 is arranged a pair of right and left movable wings 74 in such a way as they may be opened or closed through a wire mechanism (not shown) by a common electric motor 75. To each of the movable wings 74 are arranged rollers 76 holding both side surfaces of the disk cartridge 62 in such a way as they be rotated by separate right and left electric motors 77.
Then, operation of the prior art disk file apparatus made as described above will be described.
In case that the disk cartridges 62 are taken out of the stocker 63, at first, the electric motor 75 is rotated, the movable wings 74 of the changer 71 are released (at solid line positions in FIG. 7), then the electric motor 70 is energized and the carrier 65 is arranged at a taking-out position. Subsequently, as the electric motor 75 is rotated in a reverse direction, the wings 74 are closed (at positions of two-dotted line in FIG. 7) and the disk cartridge 62 is held by the rollers 76. As the electric motors 77 are started to operate, the disk cartridge 62 is taken out into the holder 72 as the rollers 76 are rotated. Under this condition, if the holder 72 is rotated by 180.degree. through energization of the electric motor 73, a front side or a rear side of the disk cartridge 62 is reversed.
Upon completion of taking-out of the disk cartridge 62, the movable wings 74 are released and then under this state, the changer 71 is dropped in front of the disk driving means 64 together with the carrier 65. Then, again, the movable wings 74 are closed, resulting in that the rollers 76 holding the disk cartridge 62 are rotated in an opposite direction to that of their taking-out operation. With this arrangement, the disk cartridge 62 is pushed out of the holder 72 and loaded in the disk driving means 64. Upon loading operation, the changer 71 may wait an injecting operation of the disk driving means 64 while releasing the movable wings 74 or may start a loading operation of the next disk cartridge 62.
However, in the prior art disk file apparatus, the stocker 63 could be placed only at a predetermined location within the housing 61 and only one unit of the stocker 63 could be arranged due to the fact that the changer 71 was fixed on the carrier 65 and an orientation of the changer 71 was limited to its one direction. As a result, the number of disk cartridges 62 to be stored was limited and then information exceeding that amount could not be processed with one disk file apparatus.